23 May 2001:
Taliban Decides Badges For Hindus
PART I: The story according to the AP and other news sources.
PART II: Excuses, denial, and lies from Taliban & Jehadi sources
PART IV: URLs of Taliban/Jehadi propaganda sites that currently publish
justifications/revisions/denials of the Taliban Holocaust.
Part I
CITATION:
Salahuddin, Sayed "World Pressure on Taliban over Badges
for Hindus" Kabul: Associated Press 2001. Retrieved from
the World Wide Web at
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010523/ts/afghan_taliban_dc.html on 23 May 2001.
STORY:
Wednesday May 23 10:51 AM ET
World Pressure on Taliban Over Badges for Hindus
By Sayed Salahuddin
KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan's ruling Taliban faced
mounting international condemnation Wednesday for a
decree requiring non-Muslims to wear yellow badges, a
move that evoked memories of Jews forced to wear yellow
stars in Nazi Germany.
The hard-line movement attempted to defend its latest
step in enforcing its interpretation of Islam as a way to
protect Hindus and other minorities from religious police
imposing rules on Muslim Afghans.
But India denounced the order -- which was aimed at the
estimated 1,700 Sikhs and Hindus still in Afghanistan --
as racist and called for international pressure on the
Taliban.
"We believe that such edicts have no place in civilized
societies and have been rightly deplored by the
international community," Indian foreign affairs
spokesman Raminder Singh Jassal said in New Delhi.
"International pressure must be brought to bear on the
Taliban to rescind such discriminatory orders and allow
all communities to live in dignity and respect," Jassal
said.
The Taliban decree was the latest sign of their growing
hostility to the outside world and an increasingly tough
line in enforcing their austere version of Islam.
"The ulema (religious scholars) have issued a decree
that the non-Muslims in Afghanistan should have a mark of
distinction," senior Taliban information ministry
official Mullah Abdulhanan Himat told the Pakistan-based
Afghan Islamic Press.
"Under the decree the Ministry of Vice and Virtue has
made it mandatory for the Hindus to wear a yellow badge
on their chests," he said.
Himat tried to cast the order in a favorable light,
saying it was in response to demands from Hindus living
in Afghanistan to be distinguished from Muslims.
"This order was issued on the demand of Hindus who were
concerned all the time because the workers of the
Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of
Vice would always ask them to grow a beard or go and
offer prayers in the mosque," he said.
HINDU CONCERN IN KABUL
But many Hindus and Sikhs in Kabul expressed anger at the
decree under which non-Muslims must wear a piece of
yellow cloth whenever they venture outdoors.
"Let us live the way we want. We will have no religious
freedom if we are told what to wear. It is disgusting if
the Taliban imposes its will on us," an elderly Hindu at
their temple told Reuters. "I completely object to this
idea and will see what happens."
Afghanistan's Hindu and Sikh community has shrunk to a
tiny proportion of the 30,000 to 50,000 who were
estimated to be in main cities before the country
descended into 21 years of war.
The decision -- which Himat said did not apply to
visitors -- produced outrage in the West, where it
triggered comparisons with Nazi treatment of Jews.
Washington condemned the move as "the latest in a long
list of outrageous repressions."
The foreign anger was similar to that following the order
of the Taliban's leader Mullah Mohammad Omar earlier this
year to destroy all "idols" in Afghanistan -- including
two massive ancient Buddhist statues which were blown up
into rubble.
Nepal, the world's only Hindu kingdom, also denounced the
decree. "It is a reprehensible act which defies all
norms and universal principles of human rights," the
Nepali foreign ministry said in a statement Wednesday.
Himat said a formal order to enforce the decree had not
yet been issued and other Taliban sources said privately
they hoped implementation would be stopped.
But the Taliban-controlled Voice of Shariat radio quoted
religious police chief Maulawi Abdul Wali Tuesday as
saying the order was based on Islamic law.
"This decision is in accordance with the Sharia (Islamic
law)," said Wali, head of the religious police who work
directly under orders of the Taliban leader.
The Taliban over recent weeks have taken an increasingly
hostile stance toward the United Nations, a condition of
lifting U.N. sanctions.
And the faint hopes for an end to the war between the
Taliban and their last opponents were dealt another blow
with the closure this week of all but one Taliban-area
office of the U.N. representative in charge of starting
peace talks.
Last week the United Nations complained that Taliban
authorities have been abusing the aid workers who provide
most of the social services in the shattered country.
Some bakeries and a hospital run by aid groups were
forced to close.
CITATION:
Shah, Amir "Afghan Hindus Told to Wear Label" Kabul:
Associated Press 2001. Retrieved from the World Wide Web
at
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010522/wl/afghanistan_hindus_7.html on 23 May 2001.
STORY:
Tuesday May 22 11:58 AM ET
Afghan Hindus Told To Wear Label
By AMIR SHAH, Associated Press Writer
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Afghanistan's Taliban rulers -
already isolated by their harsh brand of Islam and poor
treatment of women - announced plans to make Hindus wear
an identity label on their clothing to distinguish them
from Muslims.
The hardline Taliban regime that controls 95 percent of
this poor Central Asian state plans to enforce the new
policy soon, Mohammed Wali, religious police minister,
told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The plan still must be approved by the Taliban's
reclusive leader Mullah Mohammed Omar.
The law would also make it mandatory for Hindu women to
veil themselves - just like Muslim women of Afghanistan,
Wali said.
The proposal - reminiscent of the yellow Star of David
that Jews were forced to wear in Nazi Germany - prompted
an angry statement from Hindu-dominated India.
"We absolutely deplore such orders which patently
discriminate against minorities," Raminder Singh Jassal,
an Indian foreign ministry spokesman, told reporters in
New Delhi. "It is further evidence of the backward and
unacceptable ideological underpinning of the Taliban."
In the central Indian city of Bhopal, dozens of
protesters from the Hindu fundamentalist group Bajrang
Dal marched Tuesday, shouting angry slogans and carrying
an effigy of a Taliban soldier with a beard and a green
scarf. "Taliban, die!" some chanted.
The National Volunteers Corps, a fundamentalist movement
that is the ideological parent of India's ruling Hindu
nationalist party, condemned the Taliban.
"It is in line with the Taliban's interpretation of
Islam, a religion which divides humanity into two: the
believers and the infidels," said Baburao Vaidya, a
spokesman for the corps, known by its Hindi acronym RSS.
"We criticize the very fundamentals of Islamic tenets,"
he told The Associated Press.
The decision could further isolate the orthodox Islamic
militia, already under fire from the West for alleged
discriminatory policies toward ethnic and religious
minorities, human rights abuses and poor treatment of
women.
In recent years, many Hindus and other members of
religious minorities have left Afghanistan because of
Taliban policies.
Wali said the latest Taliban move is in line with Islam.
"Religious minorities living in an Islamic state must be
identified," the minister said.
The Taliban have not yet decided what sort of an identity
label Hindus will have to wear, he added.
There are at least 5,000 Hindus living in Kabul.
Thousands of other Hindus live in other Afghan cities,
but there are no reliable figures on exactly how many.
The new law will be meant for only Hindus because there
are no Christians or Jews in Afghanistan and Sikhs can be
easily recognized by their turbans, Wali said. However,
at least one Jew is known to live in the Afghan capital
of Kabul and there may also be some Christians.
It was unclear whether foreigners living in Afghanistan
would be required to wear the identity label.
Anar, an Afghan Hindu in Kabul who uses just one name,
said he does not want to wear a label identifying him as
Hindu.
"It will make us vulnerable and degrade our position in
the society," he said.
But Munawaar Hasan, general secretary of a major Islamic
political party in neighboring Pakistan called Jamaat-e-
Islami, or Islamic Party, said the move seems aimed to
give protection to Hindus.
"The Taliban should win praise for this step," he said.
"Providing protection to religious minorities is a must
in any Islamic country and this step seems in line with
this concept."
The Taliban follow a harsh version of Islam that bars
women from most jobs and education, and makes it
mandatory for men to wear beards and pray five times a
day. All forms of light entertainment, including
television and music, are outlawed.
The Taliban drew worldwide criticism when in March they
destroyed two ancient statues of Buddha in central
Bamiyan, calling it their religious duty.
Most of the Islamic world, including pro-Taliban
Pakistan, differ with the Taliban regime's narrow
interpretation of Islam and say that it is tarnishing
Islam's image.
The Taliban face U.N. sanctions for giving protection to
Saudi billionaire Osama bin Laden, wanted by Washington
for allegedly running a global terrorist network. The
Taliban deny the charge and say the United States has no
evidence against him.
CITATION:
Jacinto, Leela "Time for Tags: Taliban Proposes Labelling
Hindus in Afghanistan" ABC News 2001. Retrieved from the
World Wide Web at
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/world/DailyNews/afghanistan010522_hindu.html
on 23 May 2001.
STORY:
The hard-line regime, which enforces its own strict
interpretation of Islam, has already faced harsh
criticism and international isolation for its treatment
of women and, more recently, for its destruction of two
giant Buddha statues dating back to the 5th century.
A Taliban Foreign Ministry official told ABCNEWS.com the
regime was considering a new policy that would require
Afghan Hindus to wear identity tags. It would also
require Hindu women to cover their faces in public like
other Afghan women instead of just wearing head scarfs.
In a telephone interview from Kabul, the Afghan capital,
Sayed Rahmatullah Hashimi said the proposal had not been
made into law yet and was still being considered.
Hindus, Jews Outraged
For the policy to be made official, it would have to be
approved by the reclusive Taliban supreme leader, Mullah
Mohammad Omar.
There were no details on what sort of identification
Hindus would have to wear and no date had been set for
implementation, Hashimi said.
The proposal has been widely condemned by Hindu groups
and Jews, who faced similar marginalization by the Nazis.
Although Muslims form the overwhelming majority of
Afghanistan's population, there are several thousand
Hindus and a small Sikh minority in Afghanistan. Most
minorities are traders who tend to live in close-knit
pockets across the Central Asian state.
While Sikh men are easily distinguishable by their unique
turbans, Hashimi said that if the new policy was
implemented, it would apply to the Sikh community as
well.
'It's for Their Security'
Hashimi said the identification of Hindus was a proposal
aimed at protecting both Hindu and Muslim Afghans.
"This is being considered because there are a number of
items that are illegal for Afghan Muslims - like shaving
their beards, watching TV and having idols at home. The
same things are allowed for the Hindu community. If the
Taliban asks them to wear badges, it is to be on the safe
side so that Hindus can be recognized," he said.
"This is not a discrimination against our Hindu
brothers," he added. "It's for their security."
Comprised of Afghans trained in religious schools in
neighboring Pakistan along with former Islamic fighters
or mujahadeen (holy warriors) who fought the Soviet
occupation, the Taliban follows a narrow interpretation
of Islam aimed at recreating what they call the "most
pure Islamic state."
But many Islamic scholars accuse the Taliban of abusing
Islam's tolerant tradition for their own ends.
Protests Erupt in India
As news of the proposals spread, there was widespread
criticism.
In Hindu-dominated India, angry protesters took to the
streets in the central Indian city of Bhopal, brandishing
a bearded effigy of a Taliban soldier and chanting,
"Taliban, die."
In the capital, New Delhi, a spokesman for the Shiv Sena,
a hard-line Hindu group, warned the new policy would
incite violent public reactions across the subcontinent.
"These are fundamentalist people, make no mistake about
it," said Mukund Mody, founder of Overseas Friends of the
BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party). "I wouldn't call it a
discrimination, I call it an atrocity."
The Hindu right BJP currently heads a coalition
government in India.
Nazi Overtones
For many Westerners, images of a minority population
wearing identification badges on their clothing called to
mind the start of the Nazi pogrom against Jews.
"Oh my God, we have learned nothing from history," said
Abraham H. Foxman National Director of the Anti-
Defamation League and a Holocaust survivor himself. "This
is going back to the Holocaust when Jews were separated
with yellow stars [of David]. . That led to 6 million
dead. One would hope that we had learned from history."
Mody called for international condemnation of the new
policy. "The world was slow to respond to Nazism then,
it's even slower to respond to this now because these
unfortunate people are from a different hemisphere. It's
difficult to get the West to respond until the fire
reaches their corridor."
The practice of forcing minorities to wear distinctive
clothing goes back to the Middle Ages, when Jews in
several European countries were forced to wear mandated
headgear and clothing to separate them from other
residents.
But it reached a crescendo in Nazi Germany, when policies
such as identification badges gradually led to the
Holocaust.
For Foxman, the resonances were especially disturbing.
"Back then, it was a marking for death," he said. "I hope
the world will wake up. It starts with monuments, now
it's marking people, what could be next?"
Foxman was referring to Taliban's destruction of two
giant Buddha statues in the Bamiyan province in March.
The Taliban's demolition of the statues, one of which was
once the world's tallest standing Buddha statue, drew
harsh criticism from the international community. The
statues were considered both religious symbols and
archaeological treasures.
Part II
CITATION:
Anonymous "Taliban and Emirate: Fine Rulers for an
Exemplary State" Afghanistan: "Islamic
Emirate"/Supporters of Shariah 2001. Retrieved from the
World Wide Web at
http://www.supportersofshariah.org/eng/taliban.html
on 23 May 2001.
STORY: (excerpt, italic/bold mine)
This article was published by the Islamic Emirate, the
official magazine of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. We
are pleased to make it available on our website for your
information. We have always supported the Taliban, mostly
because many of us have been to Afghanistan and have seen
their eforts and felt their sincerity in implementing
Shari'ah.
While the United States is celebrating a drop in crime to
28.8 million violent and property crimes, i.e. murder,
assault, property theft, etc., the Islamic state records
only a hand full of crimes since the Taliban has
implemented Shari'ah there. When I was in Kabul, the
calling of the prayer was announced (adhan) and merchants
quickly abandoned their goods to hurry to the Mosque.
When we all finished praying, there was no locks, doors,
alarms or chains to fiddle with, instead each merchant
resumed his position with all goods as they were left.
CITATION:
Anonymous "4 Top Rebel Commanders, 30 Others Killed"
Farkhar: Dharb-I-M'Umin, Internet Version 2001. Retrieved
from World Wide Web at
http://dharb-I-mumin.com/english/index.html
23 May 2001.
EXCERPT FROM STORY:
The Muslim world would be further strengthened if with
the mercy of Allah, Taliban succeed in their mission,
while God forbid, if the rebels succeed against the
Taliban, this would encourage anti-Islam forces in the
world. Under this situation, every Muslim in the world is
praying for the success of Taliban that would lead to
peace and prosperity in Afghanistan . The success of the
Taliban would enable Afghan Muslims to take part in the
process of development of the country and Taliban would
inform the Ummah about the blessings of Allah and real
meaning of Islam by establishing an exemplary Islamic
state.
CITATION:
Anonymous "Ufone and its Unethical Stand" Farkhar: Dharb-
I-M'Umin, Internet Version 2001. Retrieved from World
Wide Web at http://dharb-I-mumin.com/
english/index.html on 23 May 2001.
STORY:
The recently introduced cellular phone service 'Ufone' in
Pakistan, has not so far changed its stand on maintaining
a column of "mother's name" instead of "father's name" of
the subscriber. This decision of the authorities
concerned, while being against the religion of Islam and
religious thoughts and beliefs of Muslims, is also
against the social and cultural norms of, Pakistanis.
Despite strong criticism from various quarters, the
authorities who have taken this step for reasons best
know to them, are not only continuing with their ulterior
motive, but they have not even made their position clear
on the issue. This, proves that the influential Western
culture has badly infested our society and particularly a
certain class of people who are unable to differentiate
between right and wrong. This also shows that we have
gone sunk so low as to be least bothered about our
religion and traditions. Rather we avoid our culture and
traditions just to show that we are civilized and this is
all because we want to make our Western lords happy.
The authorities concerned are urged to immediately cancel
the form, carrying mother's name column, which is a
definite source of making fun of the Ummah and damaging
the prestige of the Muslim world. The officials concerned
must also extend an apology for their unwise decision.
The authorities should issue the correct forms to avoid
causing unrest among the people.
CITATION:
Anonymous "Saudi Honour for Afghan Hajj Minister"
Farkhar: Dharb-I-M'Umin, Internet Version 2001. Retrieved
from World Wide Web at
http://dharb-I-mumin.com/english/index.html on 23 May 2001.
STORY:
The Saudi government has honoured the Hajj Minister of
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Maulvi Ghyasuddin Agha by
awarding him an honorary shield for his remarkable
performance during Hajj when he made all-out efforts in
providing the best possible facilities to the Hajj
pilgrims.
This shield was given by the Saudi Minister for Hajj,
Ayad Madani to the Afghan Hajj minister after reviewing
his services rendered to the Hujjaj after consulting with
Governor Makkah, Amir `Abdul Majid and Interior Minister
Amir Naif Bin `Abdul `Aziz.
According to reports, received from the Holy Land,
remembering the services rendered by Muslim rulers and
government officials, the Afghan Hajj minister was excel
in serving the Hajj pilgrims. Besides making better
boarding and lodging arrangements he also helped Hujjaj
in carrying out their Hajj obligations. The Afghan Hajj
minister even lifted the baggage of pilgrims on various
occasions. This led to a decision that the Afghan
minister was honoured. Taliban officials have presented
such examples on various occasions that are termed as a
valuable gift for the Ummah.
Their role is encouraging for the Muslims and a reason of
keeping the religious traditions alive. It is a live fact
that if Muslims take Islam in its true sense their simple
and selfless life would present an example of heaven on
the earth and they would be taken as marvellous community
instead of being considered as distressed.
Rulers and administration, through their simplicity,
sincerity and selfless service while win the favour of
masses they are remembered even after their decline or
stepping down from the power. If our rulers come to know
this secret of remaining alive in the hearts of people
they would leave no stone unturned to serve the nation
without any discrimination.
CITATION:
Anonymous "Taliban and Emirate: Fine Rulers for an
Exemplary State" Afghanistan: "Islamic
Emirate"/Supporters of Shariah 2001. Retrieved from the
World Wide Web at
http://www.supportersofshariah.org/eng/taliban.html
on 23 May 2001.
STORY: (excerpt)
The Taliban Islamic Movement, following its' emergence in
Afghanistan, attracted the immediate attention of the
international media. Quickly, all sorts of different
questions arose. Up until now, most of what you have
heard or read about the Taliban has been mere speculation
and conjecture.
Most of the world has been provided with misinformation
from Zionist media, and there is no doubt that the
Zionist propaganda machine has portrayed falsehood as
truth, and vise-versa, with the goal of furthering their
malicious designs
PART III
Dharb-I-M'Umin/Taliban Online
http://dharb-i-mumin.com/english/index.html
In their own words, "the only news paper that publishes
authentic news on Afghanistan, Taliban, Islam, and Muslim
world."
Supporters of Shariah
Honouring "the noble Taleban"
Islamic Soul Survival
http://www.angelfire.com/electronic/islamicsoul/survival/
default.html
An illustrated survival manual: how to fight in the
wilderness without getting killed.
Islamic Soul Graphics
http://www.angelfire.com/electronic/islamicsoul/graphics/
default.html
Background graphics for your computer, including a
picture of a burning city, superimposed over computer-
generated images of burning Israeli and US flags.
Abu Ahmed's Islamic Page
http://members.tripod.com/snakefist/taliban.htm
Taliban propaganda posters that look uncannily like Nazi
ones.

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